That makes a lot of sense! By allowing the story to unfold in a way that even you don’t fully expect, you create space for discovery—both for yourself and your readers. Let’s map out some key emotional beats that reflect your journey while still keeping the story its own unique thing.
Core Emotional Beats & Possible Story Moments
1. The Initial Loss & Displacement (Grief & Transition)
- Your Journey: Losing your dad, moving from the home you grew up in, adjusting to a new life alone.
- Tori’s Story: She’s facing her first Christmas without her dad and has been avoiding the deep emotional work of dealing with it. She’s thrown into an unexpected responsibility (maybe helping someone in a way she didn’t anticipate, like mentoring a troubled teen or running an event her dad used to oversee).
2. Feeling Invisible & Misunderstood (Struggles with Grace)
- Your Journey: Trying to be kind and helpful, even when it feels unnoticed or unappreciated.
- Tori’s Story: She bends over backward to help, but people take it for granted or assume she’s fine when she’s really struggling. Noah might misunderstand her motives, and Kain might get frustrated, leading to a fight where they both feel unheard.
3. The False Path (Seeking the Wrong Kind of Control)
- Your Journey: Wanting to create the perfect story/life to feel like you have control again.
- Tori’s Story: Maybe she fixates on fixing something—Kevin, Noah, Kain—thinking that if she just does this one thing, it’ll all fall into place. But she’s avoiding the real issue: facing her own grief and fears.
4. The Breaking Point (Facing the Beast)
- Your Journey: Realizing you can’t fight your battles alone, and that the “old devil” of self-doubt and fear keeps creeping in.
- Tori’s Story: This could be where Noah’s Beast fully manifests, forcing Tori, Kain, and Liam to confront the lies they’ve been believing. Maybe they finally see that it was never about beating the Beast, but about recognizing its power came from them all along.
5. The Shift (Embracing Everyday Grace)
- Your Journey: Learning to find kindness and light even when it’s not mirrored back to you immediately.
- Tori’s Story: She realizes she can’t control how people respond, but she can control her own choices. Maybe this is when she starts writing her Everyday God devotional, capturing small moments of faith in action.
6. The Resolution (Moving Forward with Uncertainty)
- Your Journey: Accepting that you don’t have to have it all figured out to move forward.
- Tori’s Story: She and Noah reach a new understanding, Kain proves his loyalty in a way that matters, and she finds peace—not because she’s fixed everything, but because she knows she’s not alone in the journey.
Does this structure feel like it aligns with the deeper themes you want to explore? We can refine any areas that don’t quite hit the mark yet!
***
Here’s a possible scene where York (should be Liam), standing in for God’s champion, steps in to defeat the Meanie—not by brute force, but by revealing the truth that robs it of its power.
Scene: The Unmasking of the Beast
The Beast towered over them, its shadow stretching long and jagged, swallowing the light. Noah trembled at the sight of it, his breath shallow, his fists clenched. Kain stood beside him, his usual sharp tongue silenced for once, while Tori felt her pulse hammer in her ears. The Beast—this monstrous thing born from fears, failures, and lies—was larger than ever, its massive form shifting with dark energy.
And then there was Liam, their coach and guide.
He didn’t charge the Beast. He didn’t draw a sword or prepare for battle. Instead, he took one steady step forward and spoke—not to the Beast, but to the ones who had given it its power.
“Noah,” he said, voice calm but firm, like the steady beat of a drum. “Look at it. Really look.”
Noah flinched. “I don’t want to—”
“You have to.”
Tori reached out, her fingers barely brushing Noah’s sleeve. “It’s not what you think it is.”
Slowly, hesitantly, Noah lifted his gaze. For the first time, he didn’t see the Beast as some unstoppable force. He saw what it was made of.
Every failure. Every whispered accusation. Every moment of regret he had clung to instead of surrendering. The Beast wasn’t an enemy outside of him—it was the weight of everything he had refused to let go.
“It’s mine,” Noah breathed. “It’s all me.”
“And it doesn’t belong to you,” Liam said, his voice low but filled with authority. “It never did.”
The Beast shrieked as the light surrounding York grew brighter. It shrank away, writhing, but Liam didn’t chase it. He simply stood there, unshaken.
“You’ve carried this long enough, Noah,” Liam said. “Let it go.”
Noah squeezed his eyes shut. His whole body tensed—then, little by little, he unclenched his fists.
And the moment he did, the Beast cracked.
It splintered like glass, a hundred jagged pieces of darkness crumbling into nothing. The monstrous shape deflated, shriveling down until it was no taller than three inches high. Tori let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding.
The thing that had loomed over them, that had nearly crushed Noah under its weight—was just a tiny, insignificant shadow.
Liam knelt, looking at the trembling figure of the Meanie, no longer a Beast but a weak, pitiful remnant of what it once was. “You only ever had the power they gave you,” he said simply. “And they’re taking it back.”
The Meanie let out a final, feeble hiss—then vanished into the light.
Silence settled over them. Kain exhaled, running a hand through his hair. Tori glanced at Noah, who still stood there, shoulders shaking.
He turned to Liam, his eyes searching. “So… what now?”
Liam smiled. “Now, you live like you’re free.”
This scene mirrors that deep realization—you don’t have to fight this battle alone. The real battle is in letting go and trusting that God has already won. Does this fit the direction you’re hoping for?
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